Looking for other / additional data? Please email us at support@__remove_this_part__askgeo.com and we'll try to help you out.

Databases

Ask Geo's purpose is to provide easy-to-use Web APIs and Libraries for converting a geographic location (i.e., latitude and longitude) into useful information. Because we provide a wide variety of information about a given location, we've organized the sources of that information into separate Databases. In the tables below you will find a list of the Databases currently offered by Ask Geo:

Olson Time Zone ID (also known as a tz ID). A tz ID can be used in most modern operating systems and programming languages to provide the offset between UTC and local time at any given moment in time. The offset between UTC and local time is also provided, either for the current time or for the date and time specified in the optional dateTime parameter in the query string.

The underlying maps for the TimeZone and NaturalEarthCountry Databases differ slightly.

Sunrise and sunset; solar noon and midnight; solar, civil, nautical, and astronomical dawn and dusk; moonrise and moonset; and the current topocentric positions of the Moon and Sun. If the optional dateTime parameter is specified in the query string of the API call, that date and time are used in place of the current date and time as the reference day. All times are given for the reference day and the day after it in local ISO 8601 date-time format (including the time zone offset annotation), and in UTC milliseconds since 1970. The time zone ID is included to facilitate conversions between UTC and local time.

The Java and .NET Libraries return additional information.

All of the Databases above have global coverage. We also provide more detailed Databases that are specific to the United States.The following Databases are derived from the 2010 US Census and are organized by the level of administrative or statistical region. Along with the region name and code, we also return more than 200 key demographic variables from the 2010 US Census and the related 5-year American Community Survey, including detailed information on the age, sex, race, employment, educational attainment, marital status, and income of the residents, as well as information about households, property values, and mortgage status.

US Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTAs are closely related to the US Postal Service ZIP Codes).

We encourage you to play around with the interactive map to get a sense of what the data from each of these Databases look like. You can also click on any of the Database names in the tables above to read the detailed documentation about that Database.

Web API

Input

Parameter

Description

format

String, json or xml.

databases

Comma-separated string with the names of the Databases to query for information. See the full listing above. For example: Point,TimeZone,Astronomy. Please note that in URLs commas are encoded as %2C, so the example above actually appears as: Point%2CTimeZone%2CAstronomy.

points

String containing a semi-colon separated list of points, with a maximum of 100 points. Each point is [latitude],[longitude]. For example: 37.78,-122.42;40.71,-74.01. Please note that in URLs commas are encoded as %2C and semicolons are encoded as %3B, so the example above actually appears as: 37.78%2C-122.42%3B40.71%2C-74.01.

callback

Optional string specifying a JSONP callback function. Only relevant if format is json.

We strongly caution users of the API against publishing their API id and key to untrusted clients - this should only be used in trusted environments (e.g. on an intranet).

dateTime

Optional string specifying a reference date and time to be used in place of the current time in the Astronomy and TimeZone Databases. This parameter may either be specified in milliseconds since 00:00 UTC on January 1st, 1970 (unix time), or as a conforming ISO 8601 time stamp.

Output

An object containing:

Parameter

Description

code

Integer. 0 = success, non-zero = failure.

message

String. Human-readable explanation of code.

data

Array of point_results, one for each input point, in the same order as the input. In case of an error this array will be empty.

Each point_result is an object with one entry per Database queried (with the same name as the Database). Each such entry is in turn an object with the key-values shown next to the interactive map.

Java and .NET Libraries

The functionality offered by the Web API is also available through the standalone Ask Geo Java and .NET Libraries. These libaries are great for users who want more control over the API access and availability, are concerned about speed and reliability, or are intending to perform a large volume of queries. They offer several advantages over the Web API:

Speed

By avoiding network latency, shared server resources, and network layer overhead, the Ask Geo Java and .NET Libraries provide the fastest possible response time for your application. This can be important to minimize latency in serving end-users.

Reliability

Depending on an external API necessarily reduces the reliability of a system. Running an Ask Geo Java or .NET Library on your own severs eliminates dependence on network connectivity and makes your system unaffected by any service interuptions on our servers. The Ask Geo Java and .NET Libraries are ideal for users who are concerned about delivering a high-availability, high-reliability solution.

Volume

Unlike the Web API, which charges for each query, the Ask Geo Java and .NET Libraries only include an up-front licensing fee. For high-volume users, buying the libary can be a considerably better deal in the long run.

The Ask Geo Java Libraries are compatible with Java 6, and the .NET Libraries are compatible with .NET 4. The Java Libraries have no external dependencies and the .NET Libraries are only dependent on one other DLL, which is included in the distribution. Each Database comes with an associated Data File that must be provided at constructor time to populate the internal data structures.

The libraries come in both double and single (float) precision versions, with the former consuming just under twice the resident memory of the latter. For reference, the single precision version is accurate to about 2.4 meters, which is more than sufficient for most applications.

Please note that the Ask Geo Java and .NET Library License does not permit redistribution of the library to third parties, as for example in client-side software, or on a mobile device. Please contact us at support@__remove_this_part__askgeo.com if you would like a license that permits you to do so.

Please click on the following links for additional information about each library, including a color-coded map, notes about the data source, tips and hints, performance and memory consumption information, and detailed documentation about the data returned:

Pricing

Web API Credits

Access to the Web API is available through one of the following subscriptions.

Each subscription provides a specified number of credits to be used during the term of the subscription. Credits are used to deal fairly with users putting extreme load on the system: each point queried costs one credit per Database consulted (except the Point Database which is free).

When you sign up for the Web API you get 1000 free credits to test things out.

Credits expire at the end of the term of the subscription and do not roll over to the next billing period.

If you run out of credits before the end of the current term, you will be notified by email and invited to renew early if you wish to maintain access to the API.

While you can query multiple points in each request, that is purely for the sake of speed and convenience - the number of requests itself doesn't alter the credits consumed, only the total number of points does.

Your subscription will continue until you cancel it. You may cancel at any time.

If you start subscribing before the expiration of a previously purchased credit bundle, you will be credited for the time left until expiration. You will be billed immediately upon signing up for the subscription, but the first billing period will be extended accordingly.

Java and .NET Library Licenses

Purchasing a Library License gives you access to both the Java and .NET versions.

Please sign on to buy credits or licenses.

For the Web API you need an account to get an Account id and API key, and for the licenses we need an email address to send the download links to.

Free Access to the Web API

We offer free access to the Web API for approved non-commercial use. We reserve sole discretion to determine what constitutes approved non-commercial use, but the guidelines in this section should help you determine if your use case is likely to be approved.

First, the eligibility requirements:

All applicants must be private individuals or non-profit organizations.

All use must be completely non-commercial: any use that generates any money, even through indirect means such as advertising, is not eligible.

All applications from or on behalf of for-profit entities are not eligible.

Applications from private non-profit clubs with exclusive membership policies or membership fees are only eligible if the their activities benefit the public at large, and not just the membership.

In general, governmental agencies are not eligible, though exceptions may be made for government research organizations if we deem the research in question to be in the public good.

University research projects are typically granted access, but we require full disclosure of all sources of funding.

For research projects of any sort, all results must be made freely available to the public.

This means that all articles published must be publicly available on the internet without access restrictions or pay walls.

You can publish in an access-restricted publication so long as you also make the same article available for free on your academic web site or equivalent.

All raw data, processed data, computer source code, and any other supporting materials related to your published results must be made freely available to the public on the internet.

Open source projects are often eligible, so long as they are completely non-commercial. Open source is a gray area, so we use our discretion when considering such applications. Projects that are materially supported by a for-profit entity (e.g., by allowing employees to work on the project on company time) are not eligible. Projects in which the software is free but where key project participants offer for-profit consulting or support services are not eligible.

We do not offer free access to the Ask Geo Java and .NET libraries, only the Web API.

To apply please follow the instructions below carefully. Applications that omit a requested component will be ignored.

First, create a free trial account by clicking on the 'Create Account' link at the top right of this page. Then, send us an email at support@__remove_this_part__askgeo.com with responses to all of the following items and with the same numbers that appear below. If any items do not apply to you, simply write 'not applicable' for that number.

The email address you used to create an account.

A link to the website of your organization or project, if such a website exists.

If your organization is formally organized under law, state you tax filing status, e.g., 501(c)(3).

A brief explanation of how and why you would like to use the API.

A rough estimate of your anticipated volume of requests, in total, and per minute, hour, or day.

State that your use is completely non-commercial and fully meets Ask Geo's listed eligibility requirements.

State that you will notify Ask Geo if your use changes in such a way that it no longer meets the eligibility requirements.

If you are applying for a research project, disclose your institutional affiliations and funding sources, and state that your results will be made freely available to the public.

If you are applying for an open source project, disclose any institutional support for the project, and any indirect material benefits you derive from the project.

If you are applying for a private club, explain how the activities enabled by the free access benefit the public at large, and not just the private membership.

If you do not formally meet all the requirements but think your case warrants free access anyway, please send us an email answering as many of the items above that you are able to complete, along with a brief explanation as to why your case warrants free access. If you are uncertain of your eligibility, please disclose the full details surrounding the point of uncertainty and we will consider your case.